The Numbers Countdown Only For You
by MyVisionIsDying
Summary: The numbers on her forearm tick down in steady beats. But it happens in an instant, during a road accident when it's fourteen hours, twenty one minutes and thirty seconds until Glinda meets her soulmate. She doesn't notice the numbers plummet before they disappear, not until it's too late. One-shot. AU.


Author's Note: This is based off of a Soulmate AU prompt I saw on Tumblr, enjoy while I finish up chapter nine! And I hate myself for writing this. Ask me if you want the prompt!  
 _~Vision_

* * *

Glinda's arm extends and slaps her hand down on her alarm clock, soon enough the piercing alarm ceases and the room falls silent once again with birds outside chirping their morning song. It isn't long until another sound fills the void, finally prompting Glinda to shove herself upright and scowl down at her phone with bleary eyes. She groans and swipes her finger across the screen.

The numbers on her forearm tick down in steady beats. It's almost a day until Glinda finally meets her soulmate. She wonders who it might be, would they be tall and beautiful or would they be short and cute. Glinda shakes her head fondly, her mother had always told her to keep an open mind once the countdown appeared on Glinda's 16th birthday- Glinda had been obedient and observed everyone she crossed paths with but to no luck she hadn't found her soulmate within the sea of people who had passed through her life.

Granted, she was still in High School but Glinda was and always will be a dreamer- a hopeless romantic. She opens the window and allows the morning to drift inside her cosy apartment located in the heart of the Emerald City. Glinda nods kindly at one of the birds perched upon a tree. She smiles and turns on the radio, hoping the traffic report is enough to tell her whether to walk to work or take the bus.

Apart from the occasional small build up, nothing sounds worrying so Glinda slows the pace in her morning routine. Glinda showers quickly, reeling through things she needs to buy on the way home in the evening- something to have for dinner is also on the list and Glinda settles with take out. Stepping out of the bath tub, Glinda glances through the doorway at her alarm clock outside; she takes the towel from the radiator and wraps it around her small frame before padding out of the bathroom.

She sits on her bed and scrolls through her phone, dismissing the usual social media feed her friends and relatives post. It's nothing out of the ordinary. Glinda throws her phone aside to dress herself, shimmying into a pair of jeans and buttoning up a pale pink blouse.

With shoes eventually on her feet, Glinda turns her radio off and heads out of her apartment door, snatching a nearby cardigan from the coat stand. She opts for the stairs, smiling and curtly greeting neighbours on the way. Glinda's footsteps echo within the stairwell as she bounces lightly on the balls of her feet, the breeze from the ground floor grazes against Glinda's smooth, rosy and almost porcelain like skin and twists into her hair as she is a couple of flights closer from the bottom.

Glinda almost screams blue murder as the breeze immediately changes into a gust of bitter wind with the stairwell door wide open. It sends a nasty chill down her back as she shuffles hastily out of the apartment block, avoiding busy commuters by stepping back before joining the morning rush.

The bus stop isn't far and surprisingly it isn't as busy as usual which Glinda is thankful for- an opportunity to sit away from the crowd instead of awkwardly standing amongst them. She taps away on her phone, replying to messages from family and friends- ranging in subjects from work to holidays. Once the roaring engine of the bus is heard by its regular users, Glinda jolts to attention, hopping to her feet and joining the small crowd that has gathered at the roadside.

She steps onto the bus after a small group of children on their way to school, shuffling down the narrow aisle and standing close to the exit door; Glinda clutches onto a pole for dear life once the vehicle is in motion. Her cardigan sleeve slides down her arm, leaving her wrist visible. The numbers are still ticking down steadily, thank Oz.

A couple of stops later and a nervous looking male steps on. He nods towards the bus driver as a token of thanks before trying to subtly look at his wrist, he's meeting his soulmate soon. Glinda watches him scoot towards the back with eyes firmly on his wrist.

Three.

His eyes scan the bottom floor frantically, searching for someone in his situation. Searching for them.

Two.

Little do the other passengers know that tears are forming in the corners of his eyes, he's panicking.

One.

Another person towards that back jumps from their seat in realisation, and they motion for the newest passenger to sit with them. They've found each other.

Glinda's heart swells before maintaining focus on her journey once again and stepping off of the bus once her stop comes along five minutes later. The wind has died down but it doesn't stop the morning air from being unbearably bitter, prompting commuters to wrap whatever outer layer further around them for warmth.

The building Glinda enters is significantly warmer than even her apartment (her landlord promises to upgrade the complex's utilities) and she takes her cardigan off once in the elevator. The fifth floor is busy as it usually is once Glinda's presence sweeps in amongst the hustle and bustle of people rushing past one another. She seats herself at her desk, prepared to waste the day away completing mundane tasks while trying to ignore the falling numbers on her wrist.

* * *

" _I met him at the supermarket last week, of all places!"_

" _But he's so handsome though. He says he's an athlete and works out every day."_

" _I'm so glad he's the_ one _."_

Pfannee's shrill voice bounces against the walls of Glinda's skull even after leaving work. She has not stopped going on about finding her soulmate and telling everyone within her vicinity about him, it had driven Glinda nuts. So focusing on the small talk between strangers helps Glinda shift her thoughts away from thinking about her own soulmate (and she hasn't looked at her wrist since lunch time, a new record).

Glinda hops off the bus once it reaches the stop close to her apartment, the early evening air is certainly warmer than the morning but it still prompts people to hug themselves. Being in an overheated building for most of the day, Glinda doesn't mind the slight chill against her. She fumbles for her key after she's crossed the road, and pulls it out, ready to quickly scurry into her home.

The stairwell is louder, much more people are home and are inhabiting their apartments- celebrating the coming of the weekend. Glinda's glad she can be part of that club, having no work until Monday. The opportunity to relax and unwind, it's a good feeling.

She halts at her door, one hand holding mail and the other inserting the key into its lock.

"Come on you damn thing!" Glinda hisses under her breath, she catches sight of her wrist just as the lock clicks and the door opens, moaning in protest. The numbers are still decreasing at a steady rate.

With her hip, Glinda bumps the door closed; she switches on her light before dumping her belongings onto her sofa, not bothering to open her mail yet. The apartment is as she left it, her bed neatly made and a small pile of laundry on the floor at the end. Home sweet home. Glinda swipes the remote control for her television swiftly from its home on the dining table and switches onto the news channel (" _There's never anything to watch, the news provides background noise to be honest."_ ).

She hauls her window open, sitting on the ledge to watch the evening traffic for a couple of seconds. Her stomach rumbles, signalling Glinda to prepare a small dinner; she rises to her feet, setting the remote control down onto her bedside table. A few incidents occurred out in the Vinkus and Munchkinland but it's nothing too serious.

Glinda takes all but a few steps forward when loud screeching bursts the neighbourhood's bubble of serenity and huge collisions of metal against metal follow soon after, scraping along one another like a fork scraping along a plate. Glinda rushes back to her window with panic written all over her face, she holds the window frame for support as she looks as far out as possible.

This time reads seven thirty nine on her clock.

It's fourteen hours, twenty one minutes and thirty seconds until Glinda meets her soulmate.

She can see people running from the junction down the street, it's part of a busy road in the Emerald City, if not one of the busiest. Others are screaming, calling for their friends and loved ones.

"Breaking news, we have had an influx of reports that a severe collision between several vehicles has just occurred on Peridot Avenue close to the junction with Jade Street."

Three.

"We advise everyone to stay off the roads at this moment."

Two.

"Many people are injured but emergency services predict more have lost their lives."

One.

Glinda doesn't notice the numbers on her wrist immediately plummet to zero.

"Emerald City News Network will update with those whose lives have been lost and the times on their wrists."

Glinda doesn't notice the green mark the numbers have left on her wrist.

Instead, she takes her dinner out of the microwave. Lightly chewing it while watching the scene unfold on her television, blocks away from her apartment. One by one, people are being identified- those who were yet to find their soulmate that is- on the channel, and videos of families mourning by the roadside. Glinda wishes she could do more to help, she wishes to hug the group of children crying out for their parents, she wishes to comfort the girl in the wheelchair with a panicked look on her face as she ignores the hand of her friend on her shoulder.

Abandoning her dinner to lie down on her bed, Glinda sighs in sympathy. Another person identified, another person lost. It's going to be a long night for the citizens of Emerald City. Her fingers intertwined with one another and resting on her stomach, thumbs twirling around each other mindlessly.

That's when she notices something amiss. An itch plagues her wrist which of course, Glinda scratches it but she frowns. Her beady blue eyes skimming over the emerald green patch on her pale porcelain skin where the countdown should be. And they widen in fear, panic consumes Glinda's thoughts instantly. Her heart beats rapidly within its ribcage prison and her breathing is shallow.

"No. It can't be." Glinda gasps, her fingernails digging into her arm and wanting to rip the skin away.

She looks up to the television, tears threatening to spill in salty waterfalls down her cheeks. Another person identified, another person lost. Their appearance is the most unique out of all the victims, emerald green skin stands out like a sore thumb. Emerald green skin that matches the patch on Glinda's wrist. Oval glasses that almost obstruct their chocolate brown eyes if the gleam of the light were right in front are perched on their nose, crooked from an injury perhaps? Black hair messily tied into what people call a "man bun" with only a few strands to frame their sharp and stoic face.

Their name? Elphaba Thropp.

The time on their wrist before its disappearance? Fourteen hours, twenty minutes and thirty seconds.


End file.
